nskrit (official),
Hindustani a popular variant of Hindu/Urdu, is spoken widely
throughout northern India
note: 24 languages each spoken by a million or more persons; numerous
other languages and dialects, for the most part mutually
unintelligible

Literacy: age 7 and over can read and write (1991)
total population: 52%
male: 64%
female: 39%

Labor force: 314.751 million (1990)
by occupation: agriculture 65% (1993 est.)

@India:Government

Names:
conventional long form: Republic of India
conventional short form: India

Digraph: IN

Type: federal republic

Capital: New Delhi

Administrative divisions: 25 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman
and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar,
Chandigarh*, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa,
Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka,
Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya,
Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Pondicherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim,
Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal

Independence: 15 August 1947 (from UK)

National holiday: Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic, 26
January (1950)

Constitution: 26 January 1950

Legal system: based on English common law; limited judicial review of
legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Shankar Dayal SHARMA (since 25 July 1992);
Vice President Kicheril Raman NARAYANAN (since 21 August 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha RAO (since 21 June
1991)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president on
recommendation of the prime minister

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Sansad)
Council of States (Rajya Sabha): body consisting of not more than 250
members, up to 12 appointed by the president, the remainder chosen by
the elected members of the state and territorial assemblies
People's Assembly (Lok Sabha): elections last held 21 May, 12 and 15
June 1991 (next to be held by 1996); results - percent of vote by
party NA; seats - (545 total, 543 elected, 2 appointed) Congress (I)
Party 245, BJP 119, Janata Dal Party 39, Janata Dal (Ajit Singh) 20,
CPI/M 35, CPI 14, Telugu Desam 13, AIADMK 11, Samajwadi Janata Party
5, Shiv Sena 4, RSP 4, BSP 1, Congress (S) Party 1, other 23, vacant
9; note - the d